At the other end of the rookie spectrum, about as far from Michael Crabtree as you can get, are a pair of 49ers trying to enter the NFL through the back door.

Alex Boone and Kory Sheets weren’t even drafted and signed as free agents.

They showed up at the first day of the 49ers’ rookie mini-camp Friday understanding that step one will be reconstructing their reputations.

Boone, a mammoth (6-foot-7, 328 pounds) tackle out of Ohio State, was arrested after being subdued with a Taser in what law enforcement officials say was a drunken tirade. The Orange County sheriff’s office told the Associated Press in February that Boone was jumping car hoods, yanking on a tow-truck cable and trying to break a window when he was arrested.

Boone was taken to a hospital and then to a jail medical ward.

He also had a previous drunken-driving conviction on his record stemming from an April 2006 arrest.

It’s not exactly a mystery why his draft stock slipped.

“It’s a humbling experience, obviously, not getting drafted and realizing that actions have consequences” Boone said Friday.

Boone was a two-time All-Big Ten selection during four seasons at Ohio State. His performance tailed off dramatically as a senior, but the 49ers hope he can regain his form and emerge as a sleeper at right tackle.

Sheets’ transgressions pale in comparison to Boone’s, but he nevertheless thinks his behavior cost him his draft status. During his senior season at Purdue, the running back was publicly critical of Joe Tiller and his coaching staff. The coaching staff responded by forbidding him from talking to the media.

It wasn’t over. Sheets said his agent told him “the coaching staff screwed you” when NFL general managers were doing their pre-draft homework.

Sheets, who ranks behind only Mike Alstott in Purdue rushing history, said he holds no grudges. He has been timed at 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash, the third-fastest among running backs at the scouting combine.

Now Sheets just wants to prove he can play, even in a crowded 49ers backfield.

“Every team probably has five or six guys competing for playing time. Competition is good — it makes sure nobody is getting lazy,” he said.

Boone and Sheets highlight an unusually accomplished list of the 49ers’ undrafted free agents. Coach Mike Singletary said of the group: “These are not your average free-agent guys that come in and you’re just hoping that they can fill out your camps. These are guys that could possibly help us and have a chance to play some this year.”

General Manager Scot McCloughan told reporters that the 49ers have not engaged in talks regarding the Carolina Panthers’ Julius Peppers or the Baltimore Ravens’ Terrell Suggs, two defensive stars who are on the trade market.

“There have been no discussions,” McCloughan said.

The 49ers swung a draft-day trade with the Panthers last week, acquiring a first-round pick for the 49ers’ second- and fourth-round choices for 2010. McCloughan said Peppers’ name never came up during those negotiations.

The mini-camp this weekend, brief though it is, represents the next chapter in the 49ers’ quarterback competition. Singletary set no timetable for a decision, but Alex Smith said Friday that a quick decision would help the team.

“The earlier that decision is made, the more reps the one guy’s going to get with the (starting unit) and get in sync with them,” Smith said. “So I think the earlier on the better. The further that carries on, I think that you start hurting the guy and the team.”

That makes sense. But it would also put Smith at a disadvantage, since Shaun Hill has a head start based on his play last season.

“Yeah. No question. I’ve got to get back. Get back in there and push as hard as I can,” Smith said.

The 49ers added kicker Alex Romero to the roster. Romero spent last season with the New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena League.

Free safety Curtis Taylor, a seventh-round pick out of Louisiana State, made a diving interception on a tipped pass during practice.

The 49ers said 47 players participated in this voluntary camp. Two of the players, tackle Marvel Smith and defensive lineman Demetric Evans, participated in meetings only.

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